apples
by abbyfillion22
Summary: Murder He Wrote one shot insert


Chief Brady was on the edge of hysteria when he pointed at them and shouted, "NO CONTACTING VINNY THE SCAR!"

It took all of his strength for Castle not to laugh.

As soon as Chief Brady was out of earshot, he invited Vincent Cardano to his house for lunch.

"He's not going to like it," Kate warned after he had hung up.

"Who, Brady?" said Castle, sitting on top of the nearest desk. He shrugged. "He'll never find out." He picked up a pink stapler from the desk. "I guess I should order in something from the-"

"No, that's okay," Kate said quickly. "I can cook something."

_You can cook?_ _That's so hot. _He thought, surprised that he didn't know this until now. Sure, he had watched her make eggs in his apartment but anyone can make eggs. The words that actually came out were, "Oh, okay."

She stared at him, waiting for him to ask when she had learned to cook.

"I don't have much food at the house, so we'll have to go shopping," he said instead.

"What kind of meal does one make for Vinny the Scar?" she asked, taking the stapler from him and setting it back where it was.

"Isn't it obvious?" he said as he pulled her towards him. "Italian."

Castle liked grocery shopping with Kate. There was something so… domestic about the whole ordeal.

They stopped at the deli counter to order fresh cheese and sausage. Kate sniffed the cylinder of provolone and held it up to him to do the same.

He loved that she asked his opinion on small things like what tomatoes looked ripest and what kind of salad dressing he preferred and whether or not the cheese smelled good. It was such a simple thing in their complex relationship.

"We should get some fresh fruit while we're here," said Kate, stopping in front of the crates of various apples.

He selected a granny smith and weighed it in his hand.

Kate stared at him as he did this. "Have you ever had Honeycrisp before?" she asked, picking up a huge red-yellow apple.

"No," he replied with a grin, setting down the granny smith.

She held the apple up to his mouth and he took a huge bite.

The fruit made a satisfying crunch as his teeth sank into it. Delicious juice ran down his chin. "Mmm," he said, closing his eyes and enjoying the taste. "I like your apples," he said with a full mouth. He grinned.

Kate rolled her eyes at his uncanny ability to get an innuendo out of everything she did. Then again, she walked right into that one. She wiped the juice from his face with her thumb.

He watched her out of the corner of his eye as they filled a mesh bag with a dozen Honeycrisp.

They moved on to the other fruits, feeding each other small tastes of each as they added them to their basket.

"Strawberries?" asked Kate, stopping to select a small clear carton. She turned it over, checking for mold.

Castle shrugged and popped a red grape in his mouth. "I've never really had a taste for them." The grape slowly excreted its juice as he pushed down on it with his molars, not quite breaking the skin.

"Is that so?" said Kate, selecting a big fresh berry from the box. "How about now?" she said seductively, strategically placing it in her mouth. She teasingly ran her tongue over the pointed tip of it before taking a long, slow bite. She fluttered her eyelashes as the sweetness reached her tastebuds with a hint of sour.

He stared at her, mouth agape.

She smiled as she chewed, knowing that she had him wrapped around her finger.

"I love strawberries," he muttered, placing the carton in the basket. He never took his eyes off of her lips.

The rest of the trip went similarly; with the occasional suggestive comment and intimate touch that could be deciphered as an accidental touch to a prudish passerby but was obviously deliberate to the recipient.

Castle held the basket, which he was fine doing. He enjoyed it when Kate would reach for something on a high shelf and an inch of bare skin peeked out from under her shirt. He enjoyed it even more when she couldn't reach something and he would retrieve it for her.

He loved when she took charge in bed, but he also liked that she let him do things for her from time to time… like get a box of linguini from the top shelf at the grocery store. She used to never let him do her any favors; he felt triumphant that he had been the one to break down that wall for her.

She seemed so short to him now. She was still tall, but not as tall as he was used to. She wore grey TOMS in place of her usual four inch heels; an overt indication that she was off duty.

As they stood in line for checkout, Castle realized that he had forgotten something. "I'll be right back," he told her, giving her a peck on the cheek before running off to the dairy aisle.

He came back a minute later and placed a large spray can of whipped cream on the conveyor belt next to the fruit.

Kate raised her eyebrows. "What's that for?" she asked, looking from the can to him and back again.

"For later," he replied with a playful smile.

* * *

"Knock that off," Kate scolded him when he snuck a taste of the meat sauce simmering on the stovetop. "It's not done yet."

He laid the spoon on the counter and replaced the lid on the pan. The glass of the lid immediately fogged up from the heat.

Kate shoved him lightly out of her way as she turned the burner down. She spun the wooden spice rack on the island and hummed to herself as she searched for the proper container.

"What are you looking for?" he asked, coming up behind her and turning the rack.

"Garlic," she muttered, scanning the large selection.

"Here," he said, extracting it from the rest and placing it in her hand. He relished in the momentary connection as she took the container from him.

"Thank you," she said cheerfully. She took the lid off of the saucepan and sprinkled a minute bit of garlic in. She stirred it with a wooden spoon and scooped out a bit. "Here," she said, holding her hand under the spoon so it didn't drip and placing it near his mouth.

He took a taste. "That is _really_ good, Kate," he said, licking his lips.

"Don't act so surprised, Castle," she said with a smile. She continued to stir the sauce as it began to bubble.

He stood up against the counter and watched her work. "Can I help?" he asked as she turned the oven on.

She looked around the kitchen. "You can toss the salad," she said, handing him a gigantic bowl.

He had no idea what that meant. He wasn't exactly the cooking protégé in his family; that was Alexis. His daughter had saved them many nights of takeout in the past. Martha was an awful cook and Rick's expertise stuck to pancakes, eggs, and breakfast meats.

He got a head of lettuce from the fridge and began chopping. He stole glances at Kate as he worked; longing to touch her. Her patterned tank top hung perfectly from her lean body and her white capris hugged the curve of her legs.

He could feel her eyes on him too as he scraped the lettuce into the bowl. He grinned when he caught her staring.

Kate blushed and went back to the linguini.

He got halfway through dicing the tomatoes when he gave in. Setting down the knife, he moved silently towards her and wrapped his arms around her from behind. He felt her tense for a moment.

"What are you doing?" she said, trying to focus on the bubbling water that was gradually softening the pasta.

"A watched pot never boils," he whispered in her ear, dragging her away from the stove. "I think we have some time while the linguini cooks."

"What should we do then?" she asked, spinning to face him.

He grabbed her by the arms and slammed her up against the refrigerator, pressed his lips into hers. She gasped at the sudden force, then bit his lip and pulled at his shirt.

He responded by running his tongue along her neck. She tasted sweet and salty at the same time. He could smell her cherry shampoo as he moved upwards to her ear.

The next thing he knew, they were on top of the counter; their clothes scattered around the kitchen; on the floor, the barstools, the refrigerator, and the salad bowl.

He was leaning over her; his right arm supporting her back as she rammed her tongue down his throat. His other arm held both of them somewhat upright on the island. She arched into him; her left leg was bent around his torso; holding him against her.

Both of their bodies grew sweaty and slick as the cooking food heated up the room.

He glanced over at the pot that was now boiling over. The bubbles poured out and made the blue flame below it grow and flicker orange. The fire licked up over the edges of the pot.

"Ignore it," Kate said, groaning with pleasure as he kissed the tender spot under her chin.

He loved the feel of her pulse on his mouth. He knew that her heart was racing by resting his lips there for a few seconds.

The sausage crackled and popped in the grease.

She ran her fingers through his hair and worked her hands down to his neck, then spine. He moaned; feeling her fingernails scratch his tailbone as he pushed her flat onto the countertop.

She shuddered when the cold granite met her bare skin, but was instantly warmed by his hot breath on her chest.

He retreated for a moment and went to the fridge.

She smiled when he came back with the whipped cream.

They ignored the food for as long as they could. But they couldn't any longer when the meat caught fire.

They both yelled out in surprise as the smoke set off the alarm.

Kate wriggled out from under him and raced for the fire extinguisher.

Before she could pull the pin, he had impulsively thrown a vase of water on the pan.

He jumped away in surprise as the flames shot up, nearly missing his arm.

"Castle!" Kate shouted, spraying the fire with foam. "You jackass!"

They both caught their breath as the flames sputtered and died from the lack of oxygen.

The smoke detector still whined and echoed off of the chrome appliances.

Kate stood in front of the stove, the extinguisher at her side. Her long hair was tangled and fell in front of her sweaty face. Her cheeks were flushed from the adrenaline burst and her hazel eyes shone with excitement. A bit of whipped cream was left on her flat stomach. It stood out because of how tan her skin is and how perfectly white the dairy was. There was a track running through the cream where his tongue had previously been.

"That was hot," was all Castle said.


End file.
